Biggest Winners & Losers At UFC 216

Last night’s (Sat., October 7, 2017) UFC 216 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, appeared to be yet another UFC pay-per-view (PPV) card ravaged by literal last-minute replacements and uncertain weight cuts, but instead, it left us with a much better event than anticipated.

Derrick Lewis’ back injury on the day of his fight with Fabricio Werdum left a hole in the card that was filled by Walt Harris, and Kevin Lee made weight in spite of a nasty staph infection. Two bouts were canceled when Nik Lentz failed to make weight for his lightweight bout against Will Brooks, and Harris’ original opponent Mark Godbeer was left without an opponent to face.

Yet just like that, the show went on, and the card deliver two heavy-hitting wars and a bevy of impressive submissions, including two straight armbars and a triangle choke to close out the main card’s three featured bouts.

We broke down the biggest winners and losers from Saturday night, and with all of the drama leading into UFC 216, there was a lot to analyze. Check them out right here.

Winners

Tony Ferguson:

Riding a nine-fight win streak leading into his interim lightweight title fight against Kevin Lee, Ferguson was a sort of uncrowned champion in Conor McGregor’s absence.

Ferguson battled through a difficult first couple of rounds to lock in a triangle choke in the third frame. “El Cucuy” showed he can battle through adversity and still come out on top.

Now primed for a title unification bout with McGregor, who hasn’t stepped foot into the Octagon since defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, Ferguson is undefeated in 10 fights and is the rightful heir to the lightweight throne

Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

Fabricio Werdum:

By no fault of his own, Werdum found himself without a dance partner just five hours before UFC 216 was set to begin. However, he should be given some serious props for taking on Walt Harris on such short notice.

Harris, who was originally set to face Mark Godbeer on the undercard, was woefully outmatched by Werdum, who submitted Harris with a slick armbar in just over a minute into the first round.

Werdum displayed guts in accepting the last minute replacement and his performance underlined the massive difference between lower tier heavyweights and top tier ones.

A win is still a win, and the quickness with which he dispatched Harris shows Werdum is still a top level fighter. One more victory should put him in place for another shot at the UFC heavyweight title.

Joshua Dahl for USA TODAY Sports

Demetrious Johnson:

What is there to say here? To call Johnson a winner is a vast understatement; the man is an MMA God.

His unbelievable slam-turned-armbar submission on a game Ray Borg broke Anderson Silva’s record for title defenses, thereby solidifying his spot as the pound-for-pound greatest fighter right now.

He’s making a case for being the best pound-for-pound fighter ever as well.

The real question is where does “Mighty Mouse” go from here? He’s demolished the flyweight division two times over. Perhaps a fight with the winner between Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw is in order….

John Moraga:

Saturday night was Moraga’s third career KO, but boy, you wouldn’t think so after watching what he did to previously touted prospect Magomed Bibulatov.

Bibulatov was 14-0 leading into UFC 216, While Moraga has already come up short against the champ four years ago, and had settled into a three-fight slump before taking a decision victory prior to UFC 216. “Chicano John” fought like a man possessed regardless, and got the knockout in just under two minutes of the first round.

Overall, an amazing performance for Moraga against a very game Bibulatov.

Losers

Walt Harris:

Using the term losers as respectfully as possible, Harris showed some serious guts in accepting the last-minute replacement fight against one of the best heavyweights to ever do it.

Harris had nothing to lose, but the disparity in skill was evident immediately. He took a risk that could have paid off dividends if he had pulled off the upset, but that just wasn’t meant to be.

Now, it’s hard to picture a path for Harris to get back to fighting top 10-ranked competition based on the results of his past two fights.

Harris rolled the dice and came up short, and for that, he should still be commended. However, don’t expect to see him against the top-tier heavyweights anytime soon if at all. He will need a remarkably impressive win streak to get a fight like that again.

Ray Borg:

Borg fought the fight of his life against the flyweight champion and against anyone else, he likely would have won.

He got his takedowns in against the best fighter in the game today, went for some submissions, and basically took the fight to the champ for four-and-a-half rounds.

But his best wasn’t good enough, as Johnson put a stamp on it with an incredible armbar submission in the fifth round.

Borg now finds himself in the same club as John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez, and Wilson Reis; all of which are amazing fighters, but who will never beat “Mighty Mouse”, no matter what adjustments they may make.

It may behoove Borg to consider a change in weight class, as he remains a skilled and gutsy fighter.

Kevin Lee:

Lee acquitted himself nicely against Tony Ferguson, but weight-cutting issues coupled with staph infection may mean his days at lightweight are numbered.

Lee is a huge 155-pounder, and it was clear that the weight cut left him depleted as the rounds went on. That obviously also had something to do with the infection, yet the weight cut was one that even Lee admitted was highly draining on my body.

He’s teased a move up to 170 pounds, and a fresh start at welterweight may involve the most sense for Lee after last night.